


Snow Day

by Mattecat



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, Winter, ninjago calendar 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: After Morro's excitement over the first snow of the year, Wu takes his student out for a snow day.Ninjago Calendar 2021, December.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22
Collections: Ninjago Calendar





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

> hi, I wrote this for the ninjago 2021 calendar. just a short family fluff piece about wu & morro. Have Fun

Wu woke up to shrill screaming. Still half-asleep, he thought their home was being attacked. He scrambled out of bed and rushed to the door, nearly crashing into a small boy on the other side. "Morro!" he yelped. "What's going on?"

The boy grinned up at him. "It's snowing!" he shouted.

He grabbed Wu's hand and tugged him fully out of his room. Wu stumbled and rubbed his eyes. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, once that he realized there was no danger, and going back to bed was a nice thought. "Morro, is the sun up?"

Morro stopped. "No," he said bashfully.

Wu smiled. "I'm surprised you're up this early. Listen, Morro, it's not time for our sunrise exercises yet. Once it gets lighter, we'll begin training for the day. Alright?"

Morro let go of Wu's hand and bowed his head. "Okay, Master."

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at you." Wu gave Morro a gentle pat on the head. "Go back to your room and get some rest."

Once he confirmed Morro was back in his room, Wu retreated to his own room and looked out the window. Still dark, but he could see a soft layer of snow covering the courtyard. This would be Morro's first winter with him, wouldn't it? Wu had taken him in just before summer.

He wasn't going to get any more sleep, Wu knew, but it wasn't all bad. Maybe he could plan something special for the two of them.

\--

The sun came up over the horizon, and Wu knocked on his student's door. "Are you ready, Morro?"

Morro came bursting out of his room. "Yeah!" he shouted. "Can we go outside now?"

Wu chuckled. "Have patience, Morro. There's a lot planned for today."

"Really? Like what?"

"We're going to skip sunrise exercises, for one. Come, have breakfast. The snow will still be there after you've eaten."

Morro pouted, but followed Wu to get food. Wu made a meal for both of them and they ate in silence. He could tell Morro was disappointed they weren't going outside right away; hopefully the activity he had planned would cheer him up again.

Once they were done, Wu put their dishes away and found a coat for Morro. "Here," he said, handing it to him. "Put this on. It won't do to have you cold out there."

"Snow's supposed to be cold," Morro said, but he took the coat and pulled it on. It was a bit too big for him; the child looked like he was swimming in it. Wu made a mental note to buy him winter clothes, but this would have to do for now.

"We're going to town today," Wu said. "I want you to be very careful on the stairs."

Morro wrinkled his nose. "We're going all the way to town? Why? There's snow here!"

"There will be snow in town as well." Wu smiled. "Don't worry, I have something fun planned that we can't do up here."

Morro brightened up. "Really?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to you?"

"Okay! Let's go!"

Wu carried a long, smooth board in one arm and had Morro hold his other hand on the slippery stairs, so he wouldn't rush and fall off the mountain. Morro complained about how slow they were going, but Wu didn't blame him. The boy was excited, and to him, Wu was just putting delays in his way.

They reached the hill overlooking the village. It had a seemingly gentle slope that Wu deemed appropriate, and he stopped and placed the board at the top. "Get on," he said to the confused Morro. "This will be faster."

Morro looked at the board, then at the bottom of the hill, his eyes wide. "We're going to slide down?"

"It's called sledding. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."

Morro frowned. "So it's boring?"

Wu sighed. "Well," he said, "if we're going too fast, we might crash into a tree and suffer horrible injuries, but I wouldn't let that happen to you. Still, if we're not careful…"

Morro ran over, nearly tripping in the snow, and sat down on the board. "It has a handle!" he said, grabbing the rope. "I wanna sled!"

Wu sat down behind him and gave a gentle push to start them off. "Hold on," he told Morro as they started gaining speed.

Morro joined his shrieks of laughter to the sound of the wind rushing by them, zooming down the hill. Wu clenched his jaw and tried to keep his breakfast down. He had enjoyed sledding as a child with his brother, but somehow it wasn't nearly as fun as an adult.

They came to a stop just outside the town. "Again!" Morro shouted.

Wu stood up and took a few deep breaths. "Maybe we could try a smaller hill?" he suggested, but Morro had already grabbed the sled and was trudging back to the top. Wu shook his head and followed.

\--

After two more rides, Wu had to intervene. "We're taking a break from this hill," he said, picking up the sled before Morro could bring it up again. "Let's find where the other kids are sledding, hm?"

Morro hesitated. "I dunno, Master Wu…"

Wu frowned. "Don't you want to make new friends?" he asked. "Or maybe one of my other students will be there. Maybe Libber? You're friends with Libber, right?"

"Libber's dumb," Morro grumbled.

"Morro! Be nice."

"I don't like the other kids, okay?" Morro crossed his arms. "They're dumb, or mean, or something else I don't like. I just want to keep sledding with you."

"Morro…" Wu crouched down to his level. "You should try to make friends, okay? I'm sure not all the kids are like that."

"They are," Morro insisted. "And–and they hit me, and take my food, and–"

Wu gasped. "Who's been doing that?"

Morro turned his head away. "It happened before," he said. "When… when I was alone. They were all like that."

Before Wu had taken him in, Morro had been a homeless child. Wu's heart ached and he pulled him in for a hug. "It won't happen again, alright?" he said. "You're safe now. You're with me."

"I know, Master Wu," Morro mumbled.

"Come on, it's cold out here. Let's get something warm to drink."

\--

They went to the tea shop; the shopkeeper loved Morro, and liked to slip him candy when she thought Wu wasn't looking. "Good morning!" she said when they walked in. "You two look like you're enjoying the snow!"

"We are," Wu said, smiling down at Morro, who snorted. "We're taking a short break, though. I know it's not tea, but do you have hot chocolate?"

Morro perked up at that. "Chocolate can be hot?"

Wu laughed, but the shopkeeper frowned. "You've never had hot chocolate?" she asked him.

Morro tilted his head. "I've had chocolate, but when it's hot, it just melts."

"Oh, dear. Wu, how are you raising this child? He doesn't even know what hot chocolate is!"

"He's been my student for less than a year!" Wu protested. "We just… hadn't gotten around to it."

The shopkeeper _tsk_ ed and wagged her finger. "You stay right there. I'll brew some up right away."

She turned and disappeared into the back. Wu sighed. "Well," he said to Morro, "you'll get to try hot chocolate now."

Morro pouted. "She didn't even tell me what it is!"

"It's a chocolate drink, sort of like tea." He ruffled Morro's hair. "I'm sure you'll like it. You like regular chocolate, right? It'll be nice to have a hot drink in this cold weather."

Morro shoved his hand away. "I guess," he said.

It didn't take long before the shopkeeper came rushing back out. "I didn't even invite you in! Come sit down, it'll take time for the water to boil."

Wu and Morro sat in the tea shop's kitchen. There wasn't a lot of room, and there was only one chair; the shopkeeper found a tall stool for Morro to sit on. "I live alone," she explained. "Never married and don't plan on it, so I don't need a lot of space. Oh, you can call me Celia, by the way."

Wu nodded. "It's funny, I come here so often, but I never learned your name. You knew our names already, correct?"

She laughed. "Sorry, it just never occurred to me to tell you. It's nice to finally have a proper introduction, at least."

Morro kicked his feet and looked around. "There's a lot of food in here," he said. "Are you going to eat it all yourself?"

Celia smiled. "Hold out your hand."

Morro obliged. Celia pressed a hard candy into his palm, which Morro barely wasted time unwrapping before he stuffed in his mouth. "Hungry, huh?" Celia said with a smile. "Are you getting enough food?"

"Master Wu has a lot of food, too," Morro said. "I get to eat as much of it as I want."

"He has to eat a lot, what with his training," Wu said. "I'm not surprised he has an appetite."

"That's good! You're a growing boy, aren't you?"

Behind Celia, the teapot whistled, and she turned to pick it up. Morro moved to jump down from the stool, but Wu put a hand on his shoulder. "Be patient," he said. "She'll have it ready in a minute."

Morro obliged, staying still until Celia put the mug of hot chocolate down in front of him. "Be careful," she told him. "Don't burn your tongue."

She put another mug in front of Wu, who stared blankly at it before realizing it was for him. "Oh, Celia," he said, "you didn't need to…"

She smiled. "You're one of my best customers. Consider it a thank-you."

Morro sipped his mug and announced to Wu and Celia that it tasted like chocolate tea. Wu covered his mouth to hide his smile. He sipped his own mug and looked at Celia, only to find her frowning.

"Is everything alright?" Wu asked.

"Could I talk to you in private?" Celia asked.

Wu nodded and stood up. "Don't worry," he said to Morro, "I won't be gone long."

"Okay," Morro said, and he continued drinking his hot chocolate.

Celia led Wu into the next room, where the back door was. "What's this about?" Wu asked her.

"You're taking good care of Morro," she said, "but I'm still worried about him. You said he was living on the streets?"

"Yes. He was digging in my trash for food, and I couldn't bear to leave a child to fend for himself." Wu sighed. "He hasn't said much about his past life, but I don't imagine it was pleasant."

"Of course not," Celia said. "Has he made many friends?"

"He's been… distant with the other students. He said that kids used to hit him and steal his food. I don't know how to convince him that these children won't do that."

Celia cracked a smile. "He might just be following your example. You're awfully distant, too."

Wu blinked. "What? I'm not…"

"Really, Wu, you've been buying tea from me for years and only today did you learn my name." She sighed. "I may not know you very well, but I daresay I know you better than everyone else in the village, too."

Wu bit back a denial and just shook his head. "Maybe you're right. What does that mean?"

"Wu, what is Morro to you?"

That question, though odd, was at least easy to answer. "He's my student," Wu said, "and a good one, too. Outside of training, he's a wonderful presence in the monastery, and he brings happiness to my life. I don't know what I did before him."

Celia didn't seem pleased with that description. Her face fell back into a frown. "You don't realize, do you?"

"Don't realize?"

Celia lowered her voice. "You took in a homeless, perhaps orphaned child," she said. "You care for him, feed him, and make sure he has a warm place to sleep. Morro isn't your student, not only. He's your son."

Wu's mind went empty, and he could only stare blankly at Celia, trying to process what she said. Morro, his son? It was impossible. He hadn't fathered him, he was just offering him a place to stay while he grew up. Eventually, Morro would move on, like all students did; Wu was merely a step in his journey.

There was a _thud_ from the next room, snapping him out of it. "Morro!" he called, running back into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

Morro scrambled to his feet next to the fallen stool, rubbing his arm. "I fell," he said, looking away.

Wu crouched in front of him and examined his arm. "Are you alright?" he asked. "It doesn't look bad, but it might bruise. How do you feel?"

"The hot chocolate was good," Morro said. "I finished it. Can I have some more?"

Wu thanked Celia for her kindness and bought some hot chocolate mix to take home. On the walk back to the hill, he thought about her words to him.

"Can we go sledding again?" Morro asked.

Wu blinked and looked down at him. Morro stared up with wide eyes, holding Wu's hand tight. A son, Wu thought. He never thought he would have a son.

"Of course," he said. "Let's go one more time."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Snow Day(PODFIC)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033553) by [WhaleKingdom (BadFeelin)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadFeelin/pseuds/WhaleKingdom)




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